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Lesson 92 Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

December 21, 2011 by larrylauer

Every year I seem to run into this same issue somewhere:

Is it better just to say “Happy Holidays”  than to run the risk of saying “Merry Christmas” to someone who does not observe the Christian holiday?  This year I had a colleague raise the question rather seriously. His position was simply: “It’s Christmas time damn it!”

I must confess that most of the time I have made what seems to be the safer “Happy Holidays” choice, especially with professional colleagues where there might be some mystery as to their preference.  But I must also say I am very much aware that “Christmas” for many people is mostly “a season,” a season of celebrations and parties, of giving gifts to friends and family, of going to see Santa, of taking countless trips to the mall, and of feasting on wonderful traditional family recipes.  And so saying “Have a wonderful Christmas” these days might very well be an acceptable greeting for most everyone.  Yes, Christmas day is indeed a Christian holiday, but those who say “Merry Christmas” can  mean to deliver a positive message of best wishes to everyone.

From a professional communicator’s perspective, I submit that making sure your intent and sincerity comes through what you say is what matters most at this wonderful time of the year.  It is a season to celebrate our common humanity, and not our differences.  It’s a season for us all to call for Peace among all men and women, in all parts of the world.  

So I say, go the extra mile to communicate all of what you really mean. If  you do that, it shouldn’t matter whether you also add Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, give another religious holiday greeting, or mean all of the above!  Come to think of it, my friends, all of them is what I really wish for you!  And a better 2012, as well.

Posted in Lessons Learned, Strategic Communication | Leave a Comment »

Lesson 91 Dealing with Internal Complaints

December 15, 2011 by larrylauer

No doubt about it, someone inside organizations is always complaining. In fact, at times it can seem like everyone has problems they want to complain about.  And once in a while it can even feel like the whole place is coming apart.

Our tendency as managers is often to try our best to address each problem directly. One-by-one we analyze the substance of the complaint, and then contact the concerned person. We review a range of possible solutions, and  propose a plan to resolve the matter. But many times problems seem to keep coming. It’s almost as if the more focused we become on solving problems the more negative the overall work climate feels. We expect that by solving problems we will make people happy, and instead it merely appears to reinforce an overall perception of an organization or office in trouble.

After years of working in and with organizations, I have come to see that when a perceived sense of forward movement slows down, complainers tend to come out of the woodwork.  It’s almost like when people are no longer excited about their future, they begin looking around inside and easily find new things to be upset about.

But, when a vision is clearly articulated, and executives and opinion leaders are “walking-the-talk” about new directions and achievements, morale generally becomes more positive, and many problems just tend to fade away. Certainly some don’t go away completely, and the more serious ones will need to be addressed. But the perception that “we are making great things happen again” will almost always render many internal problems insignificant, and sometimes even irrelevant.

So when complaints appear to be overwhelming, and the organization gets bogged down in gripes, you should consider re-energizing  your vision, ramping up bold communication initiatives, and getting your leadership out there again telling your story with renewed passion. By doing this you just might find that many of your internal complainers will magically fade right back into the woodwork!

Posted in Integrated Marketing, Internal Politics, Lessons Learned | Leave a Comment »

Lesson 90 Lessons from India

December 7, 2011 by larrylauer

India is eager for partnerships with US universities. I attended a meeting in Pune (three hours northwest of Mumbai) where politicians and educators came together from the US and India to explore the feasibility of  institutional collaboration. Pune was chosen because it is considered to be India’s “education city,” and the Indian educators atending were quite eager about approaching the US delegation with their needs. What seemed to be  productive conversations at first quickly became almost overwhelming.

India is facing a major challenge.  In the next 10 to 15 years it will need at least 1000 new universities to meet its needs. Its educators obviously believe that partnerships with US institutions can help. But while the benefit to India is clear, finding an obvious win-win proposition for many US institutions could be a bit more challenging.

I was a presenter at the meeting, and outlined the problems I was seeing:

The globalization of our industry, coupled with the world’s economic realties and the changing roles of governments, will mean that global partnerships will be more carefully considered.  Most of us see globalization compelling more international involvement, but the form of that involvement will have to be based on current realities and past experiences.

We learn from our mistakes.  In the past many universities signed agreements with institutions in other countries that resulted in very little activity.  Getting faculty and student exchanges to work, and projects established, depends on each academic area, and the interest  its faculty and staff may or may not have in doing it. In addition, government regulations often became insurmountable obstacles, costs were higher than predicted, revenues were disappointing, language and culture barriers were more serious than anticipated, major academic freedom and internet issues emerged, relocating faculty families became complicated, and travel costs were much higher than realized.

And so I explained in my talk that while internationalization is inevitable, each institution will have to assess how it will respond in light of its mission and objectives. That will no doubt mean that more care will be taken about where and how to engage in partnerships. I suggested that for most of us partnerships in the future will be more at the academic program level, than between insitutions. I argued that mutual benefit will have to be clearly understood, and not based on the obvious serious needs of one of the partners. Cost certainly matters, and too much government regulation will be a deal breaker for many. I explained that academic freedom issues are critical to US institutions and they should be discussed and clarified up front. And then I also added that I think many institutions will be thinking much more about curriculum and cross-cultural experience enhancements as primary concerns. 

The potential of international higher education to play a role in world and social problem-solving is immense, or so I believe.  I therefore added that I think many of us will be looking for global partnerships that also address these larger problems, and aim to improve overall quality of life.

While I presented the problems I saw, I must quickly add that the Indian people we met were wonderful hosts and perfectly sincere about wanting to have honest collaborations. Indeed, there are many opportunites in India for US institutions to find good partners. For example, with the current growth in the Indian economy, there are clearly business school collaborations that could be exciting.  Likewise, I saw real possibilities in global health, nursing, teacher education, engineering, and more.  The challenge will be to get the right academic people together with the right institutions. And most of all, it will be critical to make sure that the specific needs of both partners are clearly met and carefully articulated in any agreement signed.

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Lesson 89 Global Partnerships

November 30, 2011 by larrylauer

This week I have been preparing for a trip to India.  I will be attending a meeting of higher education leaders and politicians from both countries, and our purpose will be to discuss the potential of productive collaboration between insitutions.

I have also been asked to make a presentation about the potential of collaborative global partnerships, and to join in a panel discussion on the topic. My being able to sit in on meetings of the American Council on Education’s (ACE) Blue Ribbon Panel on Global Engagement last year was extremely helpful in my preparation. The panel’s purpose was to assess the implications of the globalization of higher education for ACE member insitutions.

I reflected on the Blue Ribbon Panel”s discussions in light of my assigned presentation topic, and concluded: 

(1) Virtually every institution in the world will have to assess the impact of globalization on it, and take appropate steps. Even if extensive activity abroad is not in an institution’s mission or vision, changes in patterns of student recruiting and migration, and in global fund-raising, are likely to change everyone’s marketpace.  And there certainly will be changes in curriculum, and in patterns of research and publicaton. 

(2) When an institution ventures out around the world, there will be both anticipated and unanticipated problems. Even the anticipated ones can be more overwhelming than thought.  There can even be internal push-back from faculty and staff related to cost. In addition, relocating faculty families can become very complicated.  Travel costs are high, and getting higher.  Bureaucratic hassles can be maddening. Language and culture often become serous barriers when actually functioning in a new society.  What about academic freedom and internet policies? And those who thought it would be possible to make money abroad will sometimes discover that the opposite is actually the case.

All this said, globalization is a fact of life, no doubt about it. Coming changes will clearly affect us all.  As I head to India I will be aware of all these problems. But I will also be realizing that eventually we all will be immersed in a global  marketplace. Collaborative partberships, in one form or another, are likely to be one viable way forward.  So, I will look forward to exploring how all this might unfold between the US and India in the days ahead. Stay tuned.

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Lesson 88 “Walking the Talk”

November 23, 2011 by larrylauer

In corporate management we often use the phrase, “walk the talk.”  This week I found myself explaining its power as a strategic communication tool to a group of university students in a public relations class.

I was invited to the class as a guest to explain the field of “public affairs” in general, but more specifically to talk about why a university might want a presence in Washington, and TCU’s goals for my work there.

When I first went to Washington my focus was to assess whether I could find additional  federal support for some of our research and other projects, as well as to get us more involved in influencing the issues and regulations that were shaping our future.  I explained that just as I arrived there the legislature froze all earmarks, which were the main  source of federal project funding. Grants also became harder to get, and the passing of the new Higher Education Act resulted in more regulations than ever before…more than 24 categories of them to be exact! 

And so early on it became clear that additional federal funding would have to await another day, and that my primary focus would be to bring my institution to the table with the other leaders of our industry to address the big issues facing us. In other words, I must get my chancellor elected to the boards of the president’s associations, and then work hand-in-hand myself with their staffs.

The real point of all this for the class, however, was that I quickly learned that you can only ever be seen as a leader in your industry when you are “at the table” with the others who are leading it.  You can send out all the materials in the world you want to tell your story, but your institution’s stature and recognition will have a ceiling until you show up in person and get involved.

The key lesson, then, for the students was to recognize the shere power of personal out-front leadership as a tool to build brand identity and institutional reputation.  Whenever you try to build your brand primarily with a media campaign, admittedly your visibility goes up.  But when the campaign ends, it also tends to come down. Media driven reputation building is an up and down proposition. But when the president and other key leaders all understand brand messaging, and repeatedly walk-the-talk, magic can happen. Institutional stature gradually grows, and what’s more, it tends to have permanence.

There is no doubt in my mind that even in this new social media world, a world that requires simultaneous multi-platform communication initiatives to cut through mass media clutter, the only way to institutional prominence is for its leaders to be on the same message page, and to constantly be out front walking the talk.  Then, and only then, do people say: “Look at what they are doing out there, that place is really taking off!” 

A strong and dynamic organizational “image” is not achieved though dramatic campus pictures. Rather it’s the public perception that the professionals and executives leading the institution know exactly what they are doing, and know precisely how to explain it!

Posted in Branding, Integrated Marketing, Lessons Learned | Leave a Comment »

Lesson 87 Crisis Repair

November 16, 2011 by larrylauer

I argued in last week’s post that standard crisis management procedures go out the window when there is no way to quickly find and report the truth about what happened. In crises like the one at PSU, facts dribble out over time. Sometimes it takes a long period of time. All that professional communicators can do in a situation like this is to report the facts as they come to know them.

There are always people who think they knew there were problems for a long time, and they were being covered up.  But in the case of truly professional communicators, there is a difference between this kind of “knowing,” and knowing for certain. I remember a situation where a television news director said to me, “You and I both know there are problems in that program.” And I replied, ” If you could prove it you would have already reported it, and the same goes for me!”    

A retired PSU professor wrote me following my last post pointing out that while I may be right about knowing all the facts at the moment a crisis breaks, “the ‘myth’ of  ‘JoePa’ was officially endorsed and nurtured by the PSU PR people and used for fund-raising for years.  What part does communication play, he asked, in repairing the damages?”

My response is that a two-part initiative is required.  The first part is to handle each moment when new facts emerge as a new crisis: Prepare a fact sheet, appoint the most appropriate spokesman, tell the whole story as now understood, and do it quickly. 

But a second part is now most critical: Clarify your brand identity message points, find student and academic stories that reinforce those points, and tell those stories aggressively in all your media platforms. Focus your efforts on your most important publics, and be prepared to sustain the effort indefinitely. In short, you must treat the situation as if you are building a new brand.

When both parts are implemented separately, but concurrently, eventually added crisis facts decline and brand reinforcement stories dominate.  In time, the brand is indeed restored. How long it takes will vary related to how long it takes to get all the crisis facts out, and exhausted.

Some have reported this week that PSU crisis repair will not take as long as many think.  I say, if all the bad apples disappear quickly, and legal proceedings unfold efficiently, these reporters could be right as far as the general public is concerned.

But, I speak from experience when I said last week that many associated with the institution will feel personally betrayed, including those professional communicators who bought into the myth. For them, deep and sour feelings will continue for a long time.

Posted in Lessons Learned, Strategic Communication | Leave a Comment »

Lesson 86 Crises in Athletics

November 10, 2011 by larrylauer

This week, the sex scandal at Penn State that cost the jobs of the winningest coach in football history, and a highly respected university president, was an American tragedy of the first order. It is one of those horrible events that brings an empty, sour feeling inside… one that settles in the pit of the stomach and just won’t go away.

Consultants and commentators have weighed-in suggesting that the situation has been grossly mishandled. Of course, they would. It’s their job to think they could have handled it better! “Get all the facts, and get them all out quickly, ” is their conventional advice.  “Tell the whole truth, and leave no unreported facts that surely will come out later.”  “Do the right thing from the very beginning,” they say. “In Penn State’s case, the guilty parties should have been fired long ago.” Indeed, judgements abound about what should have been done, and it’s all good advice. 

But… you most likely will get the word about a crisis like this in a shocking phone call just as you settle down late in the evening with a glass of wine or two, or even worse… when you are sound asleep in the middle of the night!  “Not now,” you shout. I have so many other deadlines to deal with tomorrow. I don’t even know where to start!”

An experienced communication officer knows all the “rules” about crisis management. But, finding all the facts at the worst possible time about a scandal like this can be nearly  impossible, let alone finding them quickly. You can’t tell a whole truth that you don’t know. And what makes it worse is that people tend to filter truth quite differently when they know they did something really dumb!

I know! I have been through several serious athletics crises over the years, and what comes to mind now is that there is no way to really fix the Penn State situation. You prepare a statement with whatever facts you can find quickly. You make a fact sheet so you can be consistent each time you answer questions. You contact the affected parties first, and then the press. You try to follow the crisis chapter in the textbook to the letter. This is the way it’s supposed to happen. 

The awful reality, however,  is that most of the time you will actually learn about a crisis like this from the press! Their’s is the very first call you get.  “I’ll look into it and get back to you,”  is all you can say as the satellite TV trucks pull into your driveway!  Now what?  Already, the situation seems beyond control. 

As you investigate you find that each player in the drama has a different understanding of his or her responsibility. Once they passed the matter on to someone else, they are certain they have no further concern. And eventually, everyone in the chain of command is able to conclude to their own satisfaction that they did what they could. Responsibility now is someone elses.  So what can you say until due process takes its course?

The public, however, always thinks the communication officer and senior officials know the complete truth.  They are just not telling it, or are covering up something, or are spinning the facts in some way. But truthfully, you may never know the whole truth.  Bits and pieces of new facts, opinions and truths will continue to roll out. Decisions about futures and careers now will take time, and the whole ugly episode is likely to remain a big mess for a long time.  You keep updating your fact sheet. You try to cut your losses. It’s about all you can do.

My experience suggests that scars from crises like this almost always linger for years.  This is so, even when all the crisis management rules have been followed. Eventually the institution will move on. Time does heal.  But for many Penn State students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and others like me, the ache in the pit of the stomach will continue for a very long time. 

 

Posted in Lessons Learned, Strategic Communication | 1 Comment »

Lesson 85 It’s all teaching!

November 4, 2011 by larrylauer

This week I have been thinking about the advanced seminar in strategic integrated marketing communication (often referred to as IMC) I will be teaching in the spring.  Enrolled will be graduate students and a few advanced seniors, and the question on my mind has been:  “What is it that they most need from me now?”

All of them will have taken the basic introductory subjects, learned fundamental research methods, mastered all the essential new and social media tactics, and even will have taken some advanced directed study courses. So, after much reflection about the lessons I learned over the years, I found myself beginning the course description: “We will first address internal politics, and the other barriers often confronted (and rarely anticipated) in organizations while trying to do our work.” 

I went on to list other topics such as critical thinking, strategy, leadership, planning, and problem-solving. But, I also found myself once again concluding that these students will have to be prepared to teach people in any organization they work in about what they do, any why it can be so very powerful.

The basic challenge for these advanced students will be to clearly understand themselves how it all works, to be able to explain it, and then to inspire others to do great things.  It’s a matter of living this subject matter, teaching it,  practicing it, and then adjusting what is done next from what was just learned.

Managing a staff later on will turn out to be much the same kind of challenge.  At first I felt self-conscious when I came into a staff meeting sounding like a teacher.  But now I know that “learner” and “teacher” are other words for manager. And so, from day one, I strongly believe that everyone in our profession must continue to learn, and be prepared to teach.

Posted in Integrated Marketing, Internal Politics, Lessons Learned | 1 Comment »

Lesson 84 A shift in Communication Dynamics

October 28, 2011 by larrylauer

Strategic communication professionals have some real lessons to learn from current political discourse. There was a time when most of us thought that those in the limelight who say simplistic and silly things would be readily recognized as inexperienced, lacking in needed expertise, suffering from insufficient intelligence, and unprepared for serious problem-solving responsibility.

In fact, I believe that serious journalists thought essentially the same thing.  Just report what they are saying, and the people out there will see how unprepared and thoughtless they really are. There was a fundamental belief in the intelligence of the average person, and well thought out  ideas to triumph over weak ones.

It seems that in today’s politics each candidate assumes that if he or she plays to the lowest common denominator of their support, and finds the most simple of words to cure complex ills, that this base of followers will just feel better and fall into line.  And if those simple words are repeated often enough, they will actually begin to sound like truth to even more people.  And if one’s inclination is to not question what is being preached, it becomes easier and easier for people to accept a simplistic solution that makes them “feel” better.

The simple solution this week is the flat tax.  It strikes a positive nerve with large groups of people who experience frustration every year dealing with their income tax forms.  And so each candidate has come up with a different, simplistic flat tax with no explanation about implementation and consequences. Pick the one that is easiest to understand, and “feels” the best, and then repeat it over and over again until it takes on an “air of truth!”

In today’s competitive world of 24-7, breaking news journalism, it is more attention-getting to focus mostly on the excitement of the “horse race.” Colorful, extreme people make great news copy, and keeping them in the race makes  dramatic daily headlines.  It’s just too boring to write in-depth about the feasibility of solutions. Why would you want to weed out the most colorful of the players in your drama?

For the strategic communicator the only response to this reality seems to be aggressive counter-argument.  And when high dollar advertising is involved, the one that can spend the most, and repeat the most, will generally win the day.

In the end, the unintended consequence is social and political polarization, with extremes fighting extremes. But we know that the most complex problems also have complicated solutions.  They require experienced, talented leadership. Most politicians will get elected on simple “feel good” ideas, and then face the reality of day-to-day problem solving.  They will have to muster the courage every day to try fresh new ways forward, take risks, and adjust their solutions with experience. And, sadly, this reality is a long way from the frightening simplicity of today’s political communication.

 

Posted in Lessons Learned, Public Affairs, Strategic Communication | Leave a Comment »

Lesson 83 Create a Crisis to Achieve Change?

October 22, 2011 by larrylauer

A colleague recently reminded me that I once said that if you want to make change happen it might require engineering a crisis!  Indeed, I admit I have made that remark from time to time, and I still think there is a small element of truth in it.  But mostly my intent was to go on and articulate what I see to be a larger truth.

My experience has been that for most people to want to reinvent themselves and change their organization, they must first see a better way forward to a better future. During periods when they are complaining about all the little things they see wrong, they really mean they are no longer believing that overall success is likely for their institution and themselves in the days ahead.

In most of these cases I think it’s best to find what big ideas have worked in the past, or are now working, and then recommend that more like them be used to launch a renewed and revitalized strategic plan.  In other words, focusing on specific problems often creates and reinforces a larger negative environment, which can  actually paralyze growth. But, by revitalizing what has been working for the institution, overall morale can be improved and everyone can once again become inspired.

Admittedly, a real crisis will bring about an intense desire for change. In fact, that can be felt throughout American society right now.  Today, I am attending the Texas Book Festival and there is a demonstration immediately outside my hotel window! Hundreds of young people are marching and chanting : “We want change, and we want it now!”  Moments like this certainly are ideal opportunities for creative leaders to emerge with new ideas about a brighter future.

So, I guess my original “element of truth”  is that you should never waste a natural crisis!  When you have one right there in front of you,  you should recognize it as an opportunity for launching a new or renewed strategic plan with bold new tactics.  But when such a natural crisis doesn’t exist, I certainly think that to manufacture one risks turning the entire climate too negative.

I prefer to think the best approach will be to find what ideas have been working, and then come up with more creative ones like them. This should make people feel good, reinforce a positive work climate, and generate a widespread excitement about joining a positive renewal movement to reshape the future.

Posted in Internal Politics, Leadership, Lessons Learned, Strategic Communication | Leave a Comment »

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